Case Study: Keihin Corporation reduces vehicle HVAC noise with Hexagon SC/Tetra

Performing aerodynamic noise analyses to design better vehicle air‑conditioning equipment

Keihin Corporation, a major automotive component manufacturer, faced the challenge of reducing aerodynamic noise in its vehicle HVAC systems, especially as the quiet nature of new EVs and HEVs made such noise more noticeable. To address this without costly prototyping, they turned to Hexagon's SC/Tetra software to perform complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and aerodynamic noise analyses.

Using Hexagon's SC/Tetra, Keihin's engineers identified specific noise sources, such as periodic eddies at a motor cooling inlet, and designed effective countermeasures. The solution reduced analysis time to one-third of previous methods and successfully eliminated a problematic 1500Hz noise frequency in a revised prototype. Hexagon's responsive support and software advancements were key in helping Keihin improve product development and reduce its reliance on physical prototypes.

Keihin Corporation

Jun Onodera

Assistant Engineer